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The Best Black Superheroes In Movies

After enjoying a black comic book renaissance in the past years through Marvel, DC and a plethora of indie creators, modern comic book fans are being blessed with black characters coming to life on film and TV.

Black Lightning premiered earlier this week to rave reviews and record-breaking ratings, and Black Panther mania is still in full effect as the film is squashing advanced ticket sales records ahead of its release date next month. She’s Gotta Have It star DeWanda Wise is also set to co-star opposite of Brie Larson, who’ll play the titular character in Captain Marvel. Fans speculate that Wise will take on the role of Monica Rambeau, who was the second iteration of Captain Marvel in the comics before becoming the superhero Spectrum. If that happens, she’ll be the most anticipated black woman superhero to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (pending Avengers: Infinity Wars’ final roster.)

Black superheroes have been putting in work on the small screen too. Marvel’s Luke Cagecrashed Netflix when it dropped on the streaming platform in 2016. And the company is poised to do it again with an order of Raising Dion, a comic book adaptation that follows a black mom who’s raising a son with superpowers. Vixen and Blade also have shows on the streaming network CW Seed, while a Spawn reboot is reportedly in the works.

But we’re not here to talk about the small screen stars just yet. We’re focusing on the ones who’ve made it to the film world. (And no, there’s no Nick Fury because he’s more of a superspy than a superhero.) After years of living on the comic book pages, black superheroes are now consistently making cinematic debuts. But let’s not forget about the heroes that paved the way for these newcomers to shine either. Here are the 22 Best Black Superheroes in Movies.